Hours after PepsiCo announced that it would retire the name and logo of its Aunt Jemima pancake syrup and mix brand, acknowledging that it was based on a racial stereotype, Mars, Inc., the parent company for Uncle Ben’s rice, said it was “evolving” its visual identity in an effort to address racial bias and injustices.
Uncle Ben’s logo features an image of a Black rice grower and Aunt Jemima features a Black woman.
Toward the end of 2020, the 130-year-old pancake and syrup brand will remove the image of “Aunt Jemima” from packaging, parent companies Quaker Foods and PepsiCo said Wednesday.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, chief marketing officer at Quaker Foods North America, said in a statement.
The statement continued: “As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity.”
